- Andrew Godinez smiles at his friends as they wait outside the bus on the brisk December morning. “If you don't do this type of stuff when you're younger, you're not going to want to be doing it when you're older."
- 23ABC's Ava Kershner follows the students throughout their Serve day, a requirement for Bakersfield Christian High School students.
“I'm boxing up, like making boxes, so we can get food in and get it out to people in need,” said Brennan Kujala, BCHS Sophomore.
“Today we are visiting the residents at Rosewood and we are getting to know them and spend time with them,” said Keira Herrera, BCHS Sophomore.
“I'm helping paint the facility and just making sure everything is organized,” said Andrew Godinez, BCHS Junior.
Filling boxes, visiting, and painting are just a few of things local high school students are doing throughout the City of Bakersfield.
Bakersfield Christian High School loading up over 500 hundred students into buses for what they call Serve day. And headed out to places like the Mission at Kern County, the Fox Theatre, CAP K and more.
BCHS teacher Derik Watson says that by watching his students give back to the community, he sees them grow and go beyond their limits.
“Just putting themselves out there. It may be a bit uncomfortable for them but to push their boundaries a little bit, to get out of their comfort zone. Just to do something they maybe wouldn't have done otherwise,” said Watson.
One of the community service projects caused BCHS sophomore Keira Herrera to connect with Helena Born, a resident at Rosewood.
“Yes it was very fun,” said Herrera.
They traded stories from Born’s many travels around the world, to Herrera’s tamale making Christmas tradition.
“She's the same age that I think I am, you know, so she has a lot of years ahead of her to do fun things right,” said Born.
Several of the students volunteer at these locations outside of school, like Andrew Godinez.
Who says giving back is important, especially in your own community.
“If you don't do this type of stuff when you're younger, you're not going to want to be doing it when you're older, you're not going to want to be serving your own community which is kind of a bad thing,” said Godinez.
To learn more about the organizations BCHS helped out, click on the link associated with each name.
1.. The Mission at Kern County
2. Grace Street Garden
3. The Fox Theatre/Keep Bakersfield Beautiful
4. CAPK
5. The Blessing Corner Ministries
6. Rosewood
7. Adventist Health
8. The Open Door Network
9. Morning Star Fresh Food Ministry
10. Alzheimer's Disease Assoc. Of Kern County (ADAKC)
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